Electric guiding mechanism



I. OCONNOR.

ELECTRIC GUIDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I9, 1917.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920-.

h is Afiorn ey.

umns o'comroa, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC GUIDING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Application filed January 19, 1917.v Serial No. 143,225.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES OCo vNoR,a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New York, borough of Manhattan, 1n the county of New Yorkand Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Im provementsin Electric Guiding Mechanisms, ofwhich the following is aspecification. I

This invention' relates to electric guiding mechanism for a sheet or webtraveling over an a paratus, in relation to which it is desirable thatsaid sheet travel with the least possibleedgewise deviation. The ob ectof my. improvements is to provide a simple device, electrically actuatedand electrically controlled for correcting any tendenc 1 in said sheetto deviate laterally relative y to said apparatus.

With this end in view myimprovements comprise features which I havechosen to illustrate as applied to the restorationof the normal relationbetween the note-sheet and tracker of a player-piano and these featuresare shown in their preferred embodiment in the drawings accompanyingthis specification, wherein Figure 1 is a of my improved device. Fig. 2is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of what is shown in F i 1.Fig. 3 is a similar plan view to that of ig. 2 and showing another formof my device.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, tracer 2 is rigidly mounted inside frames 3 an 4. Above said'tracker, roll 5, carrying note-sheet 6,is pivotall slidably mounted in said side frames, an below tracker 2take-up roll 7 is pivotally mounted, said roll 7 being eflicient whenrotated to draw sheet 6 over the face of tracker 2.

Fixed to the outboard face of frame i and in line with roll 5 is magnet9, preferably in the form of a solenoid. For coaction with saidsolenoid, armature 11 fixed to one end said tracker.

front elevation of one form 7 An electric conductor 24: connects contactmember 130 with battery 22, battery 22 with solenoid 9 and solenoid 9with contact member 19, so that when the sheet deviates to the right andengages contact 130 and moves that contact into engagement with contact19, an electric circuit will be established in solenoid 9, wherebyarmature 11 and roll 5 will be drawn to the left, thereby correcting thedeviation of the note-sheet relatively to The left hand end of roll 5 isconstantly urged to the right by spring 37.

In Fig. 3 is an arrangement whereby tracker 2 is mounted for endwisemovement instead of 170112 and whereby another form of sheet-engagingcontact member is employed. Therein, contactmember 15 is pivoted intracker 2 and has an arm 16 for engagement with the edge of sheet 6, andanother arm 17 for engagement, one at a time, with opposite contactmembers 20 and 21 fixed relatively to said tracker. Said arm 16 isconstantly urged toward sheet 6 by spring 31. In this arrangementsolenoids 8 and '9 are arranged side. by side. In the arrangementof Fig.3, when sheet 6 is absent from tracker 2 arm 17 lies continually inengagement with contact 20, whereby the current from battery 22 would bewasted. Therefore I'provide a circuit breaker, and which may be employedin other casesif desired, to

break the circuit when the sheet is absent from the tracker. This devicemay comprise plunger32, mounted for movement transversely of the trackerand normal to the sheet, and having a contact 33 at its lower end forengagement with contact 34, i said contacts being connected in circuitwith batteryv 22. The upper end 35 of plunger 32 is positioned tobedepressed by sheet 6 when that sheet is'in place on tracker 2, wherebycontacts 33'and 34 arecaused to engage, and complete the electriccircuit when. contact member 17 engages either of contacts 20 and 21. i

It will thus be seen that, by my improved device, electrical meanssimple in construction and highly adaptable to a variety-of details ofenvironment, are, provided for restoring the normal relation between thesheet and tracker when that relation is disturbed;

I claim: V 1. The combination of a tracker and a roll, one of said partsbeing relatively movable longitudinally with respect to the other, anote-sheet on said roll, means for drawing said sheet over the tracker,two contact members fixed relatively to said tracker, a

third contact member movably mounted on said tracker for engagement withsaid two contact members one at a time, said engagement being governedby deviation of said note-sheet from its normal relation to saidtracker, means for maintaining said third contact member in engagementwith said note-sheet, two stationary coaxial solenoids adjacent eachother, an armature common to said two solenoids and fixed to and extending lengthwise said relatively movable part, means for energizing saidsolenoids, and means forming an electric circuit between said contacts,solenoids and energizing means for at one time actuating said relativelymovable part in one direction and at another time in the oppositedirection.

2. The combination of a frame, atracker carried thereby and movable inthe direction of its length in said frame, a sheet traveling over theface oi said tracker, two contact members fixed relatively to saidtracker, a third contact member movably mounted on said tracker forengagement with said two contact members one at a time, said engagementbeing governed by deviation of said note-sheet from its normal relationto said tracker, means for maintaining said third contact member inengagement with said note-sheet, two coaxial solenoids adjacent eachother and fixed to said frame, an arma ture common to said two solenoidsand fixed to and extending lengthwise said tracker, means for energizingsaid solenoids, and means forming an electric circuit between saidcontacts, solenoids and energizing means, for at one time actuating saidtracker in one direction and at another time in the opposite direction.

8. The combination of a tracker and roll, one of said parts beingrelatively movable longitudinally with respect to the other, anote-sheet on said roll, means for drawing said sheet over the tracker,two contact members fixed relatively to said tracker, a third contactmember movably mounted on said tracker for engagement with said two contact members one at a time, said engagementbeing governed by deviationof said notesheet from its normal relation to said tracker, means formaintaining said third contact member in engagement with saidnote-sheet, two stationary coaxial solenoids adjacent each other, anarmature common to said two solenoids and fixed to and extendinglengthwise said relatively movable part, means for energizing saidsolenoids, means forming an electric circuit between said contacts,solenoids and energizing means for at one time actuating said relativelymovable part in one direction and at another time in the oppositedirection, and contact means carried by said tracker and movable intocontacting engagement by the presence of the note-sheet on said trackerfor completing said electric circuit.

l. The combination of a tracker and a roll carrying a note-sheetthereon, means for drawing the sheet over said tracker, either thetracker or the roll being mounted as a movable member for movementtransverse the direction of travel of said sheet, two contact membersfixed relatively to said tracker, a third contact member movably mountedon said tracker for engagement with said two contact members one at atime, means for maintaining said third contact member in engagement withthe sheet whereby said member is moved into contact with one of the twocontact members when that sheet deviates from its normal relation tosaid tracker, two stationary coaxial solenoids adjacent each other, anarmature common to the two solenoids, fixed to said movable member andextending lengthwise said movable member, said solenoids being eflicientwhen energized one at a time to draw said armature in oppositedirections respectively and thereby move said movable member forrestoring said normal relation, means for energizing said. solenoids andelectric conductors connecting said energizing means, solenoids andcontact members, respectively.

5. The combination of a tracker and a roll carrying a note-sheetthereon, means for drawing the sheet over said tracker, either thetracker or the roll being mounted as a movable member for movementtransverse the direction 01. travel of said sheet, two contact membersfixed relatively to said tracker, a third contact member movably mountedon said tracker for engagement with said two contact members one at atime, means for maintaining said third contact member in engagement withthe sheet whereby said member is moved into contact with one of the twocontact members when that sheet deviates from its normal relation tosaid tracker, two stationary coaxial so1enoids adjacent each other, anarmature com mon to the two solenoids, fixed to said movable member andextending lengthwise said movable member, said solenoids being efficientwhen energized one at a time to draw said armature in oppositedirections respectively and thereby move said movable member forrestoring said normal relation, contact means carried by said trackerand movable into contacting engagement by the presence of the sheet onsaid tracker for completing the electric circuit when said third contactmember engages either of the two contact members, means for energizingsaid solenoids and electric conductors connecting said energizing means,solenoids and contact members, res ectively.

6. The combination with a frame, a tracker carried thereby and movablein the direction of its length in said frame, and a sheet traveling overthe face of said tracker, of means for shiftingsaid tracker in thedirection of its length for restoring said tracker and sheet to, normalrelation when said sheet deviates laterall therefrom including twocontact members xed relatively to said tracker, a third contact membermovably mounted on said tracker for engagement with said two contactmembers one at a time, means for maintaining said third contact memberin engagement with the sheet wherebysaid member is moved into contactwith one of the two contact members when that sheet deviates from itsnormal relation to saidtracker, two coaxial solenoids fixed to saidframe and adjacent each other, an armature common tothe two solenoids,fixed to said tracker and extending lengthwise the tracker, saidsolenoids bein eflicient when energized one at a time to raw saidarmature in opposite directions respectivel and thereby move saidtracker in the direction of the lateral deviation of the sheet forrestor- I ing said normal relation, means for energizing said solenoidsand electric conductors connecting said energizing means, solenoids andcontact members, respectively.

7. The combination with a frame, a tracker carried thereby and movablein the direction of its length in said frame, and a'sheet traveling overthe face of said tracker, of means for shifting said tracker in thedirection of its length for restoring said tracker and sheet to normalrelation when said sheet deviates laterally therefrom including twocontact members fixed relatively to said tracker, a third contact membermovably mounted on said tracker for engagement with said two contactmembers one at atime, means for maintaining said third contact member inengagement with the sheet whereby said member is moved into contact withone of the two contact members when that sheet deviates from its normalrelation to said tracker, means for moving the third contact member intocontact with the other of said two contact members, two coaxialsolenoids fixed to said frame and adjacent each other, an armaturecommon to the two solenoids, fixed to said tracker and extendinglengthwise the tracker, said solenoids being efficient when energizedone at a time to draw said armature in opposite directions respectivelyand thereby move said tracker in the direction of the lateral deviationof the sheet for restoring said normal relation, contact means carriedby said tracker and movable into contacting engagement by the presenceof the sheet on said tracker for completing the electric circuit whensaid third contact member engages either of the two contact members,means for energizing said solenoids and electric conductors connectingsaid energizing means, solenoids and contact members, respectively.

Signed at New York, borough of Bronx, in the county of Bronx and Stateof New York, this 17th day of January, 1917, before two subscribingwitnesses.

J AMES OCONNOR.

Witnesses:

SOPHIE TAUB, ARTHUR CONRAN.

ion in Letters Patent No. 1,360,565.

Correct It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,360,565,granted November 30,

1920, upon the opplioatiou of Jmnes OQonnor, of New York, N Y., for animprovement in Electric Guiding Mechanisms, an error appears in theprinted specification requirim correction as follows: Page 3, chtim 7,lines 46-48, strike out the Words and comma, "means for moving the thirdcontact member into contact with the other of said two Contact members,;and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correctiontherein that thesame may conform to the record of the case in the PatentOffice.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of January, A. D., 1921.

L. B. MANN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL] ion in Letters Patent No. 1,366,565.

Correct It is hereby certified that inLetters Patent No. 1,360,565,granted November 30,

1920, upon the application of James OConnor, of New York, r" Y. for animprovement in Electric Guiding Mechanisms, an erro'r appears in theprinted specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, claim 7,lines 46-48, strike out the Words and comma, means for moving the thirdcontact member into contact with the other of said two contact members,and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correctiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Office.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of January, A. D., 1921.

L. B. MANN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL]

